Lunch boxes with carrier attachments

ABSTRACT

A vacuum bottle holder attachment including a wall with an integral downturned flange closely removably fitted over an end wall of a standard lunchbox in a manner whereby said holder is clampingly retained in an external position on said lunchbox by the box cover when said cover is in its closed condition, said removable holder having an outwardly projecting bottom support and having releasable straps.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Edwin H. Graf W187 S6876 Jewel Crest Drive, Muskego, Wis. 53150 [21] Appl. No. 876,487

[22] Filed Nov. 13, 1969 [45] Patented Oct. 5, 1971 [54] LUNCH BOXES WITH CARRIER ATTACHMENTS 2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] 11.8. C1 206/4, 190/52, 220/234, 248/311 511 1111. c1 A45c 11 20 [50] Field of Search 190/42, 60,

52; 206/4, 19.5 R, 47 R; 220/18, 23.4, 85 H; 224/45 Q; 248/311. 313

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 922,567 5/1909 Cosgrove.......... 190/52 3,288,416 11/1966 Franklin 248/311 1,762,331 6/1930 Greist 220/23.4 X 1,81 1,439 6/1931 Scherz et a1. 206/4 2,532,244 11/1950 Pasmore 248/311 UX 2,846,201 8/1958 Mernelstein.. 248/311 X 2,858,957 11/1958 Darrah 206/4 X 3,156,105 ll/l964 Bahne1.. 206/4X 3,194,529 7/1965 Brock.... 248/313 3,224,720 12/1965 Hain 248/313 3,429,542 2/1969 Fagan 248/313 Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner-Steven E. Lipman Attorney-Morsell & Morsell ABSTRACT: A vacuum bottle holder attachment including a wall with an integral downturned flange closely removably fitted over an end wall of a standard lunchbox in a manner whereby said holder is clampingly retained in an external position on said lunchbox by the box cover when said cover is in its closed condition, said removable holder having an outwardly projecting bottom support and having releasable straps.

LUNCH BOXES WITH CARRIER ATTACHMENTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to attachment devices for removably securing a supplemental food or liquid container to the exterior of a conventional lunchbox.

2. Description of the Prior Art As far as applicant is aware, there are no carrier or holder devices presently available which are intended to permit the removable attachment of an extra vacuum bottle or other container to the exterior of a lunchbox. Lunchboxes ordinarily have provision within the interior of the cover for carrying a jug of coffee therein but if the user. also wishes to take an additional container of soup or other liquid, as frequently occurs, he has to carry it separately, which is cumbersome as well as inconvenient. With this in mind, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a simple, removable holder attachment which permits the user to detachably secure a second vacuum bottle directly to his lunchbox, thus enabling him to readily carry both the lunchbox and extra vacuum bottle with one hand by means of the lunchbox handle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a bracket or holder formed of sheet metal or suitable plastic which is designed to be removably secured on a wall such as an end wall of a lunchbox, thereby providing a support for an additional vacuum bottle containing soup or other liquid. This permits the user to carry both his lunchbox and said extra container with one hand by means of the lunchbox handle. The result is that with the present invention it is unnecessary for the user to carry his lunchbox and extra jug separately, as has heretofore been necessary.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a holder attachment for a vacuum bottle or the like which is removably mountable on an end wall of a lunchbox, as

described, which removable holder is securely locked in position on said lunchbox when the cover of the box is closed, thereby eliminating the possibility of said holder inadvertently becoming disengaged from the lunchbox while the same is being transported.

A further object of the invention is to provide an attachment for lunchboxes which can be readily formed of sheet metal, plastic, or other low cost material, thereby providing a device which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

A further object is to provide an attachment which makes a compact combination with a lunchbox, fitting closely adjacent an end wall, whereby an auxiliary container which is of substantially the same height and width as the lunchbox may be conveniently carried.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a novel holder attachment for lunchboxes which is easy to install and remove, which is durable and long lasting, which is reliable in use, and which is otherwise particularly well adapted for its intended purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the accompanying drawing, illustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views FIG. 1 is a front elevational view ofa conventional lunchbox with the holder attachment comprising the present invention secured thereon, there being a vacuum bottle mounted in said holder;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the holder attachment alone;

FIG. 3 is an end view of a lunchbox with the holder attachment mounted thereon, the lunchbox cover being shown in its open position and the bottle and straps being removed; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the end wall of a lunchbox with the holder mounted thereon, the lunchbox cover being closed to lock said holder in position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawing, illustrated therein is a conventional lunchbox 10 which comprises a generally rectangular body including a front wall 11, backwall l2, and a pair of end walls I3 and 14. Hinged to said box is a top or cover member 17 which is joined to the backwall 12 by hinge means 18 (FIG. 3) spaced below theupper edge of said box. In conventional lunchboxes said cover member 17 is designed to overlap the upper portion of the box when said cover is closed, as is illustrated in FIG. 4 and which is an important element of the present invention, as will be hereinafter seen. Suitable coacting latch means 19 (FIGS. 1 and 3) are provided on said cover and on the box front wall 11 to permit said cover to be readily secured in its closed condition.

In conventional lunchboxes the cover member 17 is of rounded contour to accommodate a vacuum bottle (not shown) or the like within the interior thereof, there ordinarily being suitable detachable clamping means in the box interior for retaining said vacuum bottle in position therein. An exterior handle 22 is mounted on the top of said cover member 17 to permit the lunchbox to be easily grasped by the user with one hand for transporting. V

The novel holder attachment comprising the present invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 20, and may be formed of metal, plastic, or other durable but relatively inexpensive material. Said attachment is of one-piece construction and includes an upright wall portion 24 which is preferably of about the same dimensions as the wall l4 of the lunchbox, the wall being deflected downwardly at its upper edge to form a flange 25 which projects downwardly in spaced, parallel relationship to said backwall 24. As best appears in FIG. 4, as will be more fully described hereinafter, the spacing between said backwall 24 and downwardly extending flange 25 is designed to snugly receive an end wall of the lunch box therebetween, the flange 25 being permitted to yield somewhat when the attachment is being slipped into position.

Intermediate the height of said upright wall 24, a pair of opposed, integral arm members 26, 27 are formed from the stock of said back member and are deflected outwardly on an arc, said curved arms being designed to receive and partially surround a conventional cylindrical jug or vacuum bottle, such as the jug 28 shown in FIG. 1. A slotted opening 23 is provided adjacent the outer end of each of said curved members 26, 27, and projected therethroug'h are strap members 29, 30 which are designed to encircle the vacuum bottle carried by said attachment, there being suitable buckle means 31 for releasably securing said straps in their jug-retaining condition.

The bottom 33 of said holder attachment 20 is formed integrally therewith and is deflected outwardly at substantially a right angle relative to the upright member 24 to provide a horizontal platform or base upon which the bottom of a vacuum bottle can be rested, the platform being in substantially the plane of the bottom of the lunchbox. As best appears in FIG. 2, said bottom member 33 has its edge cut to conform generally to the bottom of a conventional cylindrical vacuum jug, and formed on opposite sides of said curved edge are upstanding lugs or ears 34, 35 which are designed to retain the jug thereon.

In the use of the present invention if the workman or other user desires to take an extra jug, in addition to the container ordinarily carried within the cover 17 of his lunchbox, he has merely to open the box cover and slip the holder attachment 20 onto one of the end walls of said lunchbox, as, for example, the end wall I4 in the illustration.

As mentioned, and as best appears in FIG. 4, the holder 20 is provided with a downturned flanged portion 25 which is designed to fit over the upper edge of the end wall of the lunchbox, and is spaced slightly from the upright wall 24 of the carrier so that said lunchbox wall 14 is snugly accommodated therebetween. Then, and referring still to FIG. 4 of the drawing, when the cover 17 of the conventional lunchbox is swung downwardly to its closed position it overlaps the upper portion of said box, and thus said cover also overlaps the upper portion of the holder attachment 20 to effectively lock the same in position on the box. As long as said cover 17 remains in its closed condition it is impossible to remove the holder attachment,and there is no possibility of said holder inadvertently coming off.

- With the holder attachment 20 thus securely locked on the end of the lunchbox the user may mount his extra jug on the outwardly projecting bottom member 33 of said holder, between the upstanding lugs 34, 35, and fasten the straps 29, 30 around said jug to retain the same thereon. The user can then readily carry both the lunchbox and attached extra jug with one hand by means of the handle 22, and the jug may be of approximately the height and width of the lunchbox.

When he desires to drink from the jug carried by the attachment 20, the user has merely to unfasten the straps 27 and 28 and remove the jug from its holder. When it is not desired to use the holder attachment it can be quickly and easily disengaged and removed merely by swinging the cover of the lunchbox to its open position and slipping said attachment upwardly off the end wall of said lunchbox.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be seen that the present invention provides a unique, inexpensive holder which can be readily mounted on an end wall of a conventional lunchbox for the purpose of supporting an extra jug or other food container exteriorly of said box and compactly with respect thereto. With said holder thus mounted on the end of his lunchbox the user can carry both said lunchbox and extra jug with one hand by means of the lunchbox handle. The result is that with the present invention it is unnecessary for the user to carry his lunch box and extra jug separately, which is cumbersome and inconvenient.

Further important features of the present invention are that the novel jug-holding attachment is securely locked onto the end of the lunchbox while the same is being transported, thereby eliminating the possibility of said holder inadvertently coming off. When it is desired to remove said holder, however, this can be quickly and easily accomplished merely by swinging the lunchbox cover to its raised, open position and slipping said holder upwardly off of the box wall.

It is to be understood that while one preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail herein, numerous variations or modifications of said device will undoubtedly occur to those skilled in this art. What is intended to be covered herein, therefore, is not only the illustrated form of the present invention, but also any and all variations or modifications thereof as may come within the spirit of said invention.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a lunchbox having a main body with an upright end wall and having a movable cover meeting the main body on a horizontal line of meeting intermediate the height of the lunchbox, a substantially L-shaped carrier attachment comprising an upright wall positioned against said upright end wall of the lunchbox, said upright wall having opposite side edges and having an integral shelf projecting outwardly from its lower'edge; a vacuum bottle supported on said shelf in exposed position at the end of the lunchbox; means spaced above said shelf and below the line of meeting between the cover and main body of the lunchbox connected to said upright wall of the carrier attachment to detachably retain the bottle in position on the shelf and against said upright wall; and attaching means connected to said upright wall of the carrier attachment removably attaching the latter to the lunchbox, there being a pair of spaced cuts extending transversely into each of the opposite side edges of the upright wall of the carrier attachment substantially short of meeting, each pair of cuts defining a portion of an arm, and said arms being bent outwardly over the shelf to conform to the curvature of the sides of the vacuum bottle and to partially surround the bottle together with the portion of the upright wall of the carrier attachment which is between said arms, the means for detachably retaining the bottle in position being connected to the ends of said curved arms. I

2. A combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for detachably retaining the bottle in position comprises a flexible strap member connected to the end of one of said curved arms and a cooperating flexible strap member connected to the end of the other curved arm. 

1. In combination with a lunchbox having a main body with an upright end wall and having a movable cover meeting the main body on a horizontal line of meeting intermediate the height of the lunchbox, a substantially L-shaped carrier attachment comprising an upright wall positioned against said upright end wall of the lunchbox, said upright wall having opposite side edges and having an integral shelf projecting outwardly from its lower edge; a vacuum bottle supported on said shelf in exposed position at the end of the lunchbox; means spaced above said shelf and below the line of meeting between the cover and main body of the lunchbox connected to said upright wall of the carrier attachment to detachably retain the bottle in position on the shelf and against said upright wall; and attaching means connected to said upright wall of the carrier attachment removably attaching the latter to the lunchbox, there being a pair of spaced cuts extending transversely into each of the opposite side edges of the upright wall of the carrier attachment substantially short of meeting, each pair of cuts defining a portion of an arm, and said arms being bent outwardly over the shelf to conform to the curvature of the sides of the vacuum bottle and to partially surround the bottle together with the portion of the upright wall of the carrier attachment which is between said arms, the means for detachably retaining the bottle in position being connected to the ends of said curved arms.
 2. A combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for detachably retaining the bottle in position comprises a flexible strap member connected to the end of one of said curved arms and a cooperating flexible strap member connected to the end of the other curved arm. 